Lion (2016): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Lion is a 2016 drama directed by Garth Davis, starring Nicole Kidman. It is based on A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. It runs 1 hour 58 minutes and earned $140.9 million worldwide on a $12 million budget. It won 13 awards from 33 nominations, among them 6 Oscar nominations. Critics gave it 69 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.0/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 58m (118 min)
- Director
- Garth Davis
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Weinstein Company, The
- Budget
- $12M
- Based on
- A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Lion About?
The premise of Lion without spoilers, adapted from A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A young Indian boy gets lost in the bustling streets of Calcutta and is separated from his family. He faces numerous hardships before being adopted by a loving Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, driven by a desire to learn about his origins, he embarks on a journey to find his birth family and reconnect with his past.
Lion Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- adoption
- india
- adoptive mother adoptive son relationship
- mother son reunion
- street child
- brother brother relationship
- 5 year old
- australia
- boyfriend girlfriend relationship
- adopted child
- calcutta india
- little boy
+38 more Show fewer
- google earth
- language barrier
- lost child
- based on real person
- flashback
- year 1986
- kolkata
- mother son relationship
- foreign adoption
- based on true story
- orphanage
- younger version of character
- australian
- adopted brother
- ends with real life photos
- ends with biographical notes
- watermelon
- reference to google
- 2010s
- adopted son
- based on book
- mispronounce name
- mispronounciation
- internet
- title at the end
- missing child
- adoptive father adopted son relationship
- traumatic childhood experience
- poverty
- adopted brother adopted brother relationship
- coal train
- speaking hindi
- bare chested man
- hotel management
- cricket
- hobart tasmania
- reference to drug abuse
- retracing one's tracks
Lion Cast
Nicole Kidman stars in Lion. Directed by Garth Davis.
- Director Garth Davis
Lion Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Lion 69 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.0/10.
-
IMDb 8.0 /10
See on IMDb -
Metacritic 69 Metascore
User score 7.9
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 80% User score
See on TMDB -
Letterboxd 3.9 /5
2.4K ratings
See on Letterboxd -
Movie Insider 3.8 /5
See on Movie Insider
Lion Plot Summary
What happens in Lion from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
BASED ON A TRUE STORY. The film opens with stunning visuals of a city in Central India, where five-year-old Saroo, portrayed by Sunny Pawar, stands on a hilltop, mesmerized by a swarm of butterflies. His adventurous older brother, Guddu, inspires him to join in mischievous fun by sneaking atop a coal train to steal coal. Saroo bravely leaps off the train just before it enters a tunnel, a moment that Guddu applauds proudly.
Full summary
The whole story of Lion, scene by scene
Lion Box Office & Budget
Lion grossed $140.9 million worldwide on a $12 million budget, 12 times what it cost. $51.7 million came from the US and Canada and $89.1 million (63%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$140.9M
12× its budget
- US & Canada
- $51.7M
- International
- $89.1M
- Budget
- $12M
Lion Awards & Nominations
Lion won 13 awards from 33 nominations, among them 6 Oscar nominations. Its biggest night was the AACTA Awards 2017, with 12 wins from 12 nominations.
13 wins33 nominations7 ceremonies
-
AACTA Awards 2017 12 wins · 12 nominations- Won Best Adapted Screenplay
- Won Best Cinematography
- Won Best Costume Design
- Won Best Direction – Garth Davis
- Won Best Editing
-
DGA Awards 2017 1 win · 2 nominations- Won First-Time Feature Film – Garth Davis
- Nominated Feature Film – Garth Davis
-
Oscars 2017 6 nominations- Nominated Actor in a Supporting Role – Dev Patel
- Nominated Actress in a Supporting Role – Nicole Kidman
- Nominated Best Picture
- Nominated Cinematography
- Nominated Music (Original Score)
-
Golden Globes 2017 4 nominations- Nominated Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Nominated Best Original Score
- Nominated Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, Musical or Comedy – Dev Patel
- Nominated Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Musical or Comedy – Nicole Kidman
Show all 7 ceremonies Show fewer ceremonies
-
Actor Awards (SAG) 2017 2 nominations- Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Nicole Kidman
- Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Dev Patel
-
Critics' Choice 2016 6 nominations- Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay
- Nominated Best Picture
- Nominated Best Score
- Nominated Best Supporting Actor – Dev Patel
- Nominated Best Supporting Actress – Nicole Kidman
-
TIFF 2016 1 nomination- Nominated People's Choice Award First Runner Up – Garth Davis
Lion Trailers & Videos
18 videos: 2 trailers, 4 teasers and 12 featurettes.
- Trailer Lion Official Trailer 2 - Out Now on Blu-Ray and DVD
- Teaser LION - TRAILER (30")
- Teaser LION - TRAILER (60")
- Teaser Lion - "6 Academy Award Nominations"
How Well Do You Know Lion?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What year did Saroo get lost from his family?
Cars in Lion
20 cars on screen, including the 1988 Honda Prelude and the Tata unknown.
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1988 Honda Prelude Minor role -
Tata unknown Minor role -
unknown Minor role -
API Lambretta 175 Background role
Lion Also Known As
30 alternative titles, including “A Long Way Home” and “סארו : הדרך הביתה”.
- Also known as
-
- A Long Way Home
- סארו : הדרך הביתה
- Lion – Der lange Weg nach Hause
- Lion: Uma Jornada para Casa
- LION ライオン 25年目のただいま
- LION/ライオン 〜25年目のただいま〜
- LION／ライオン ～25年目のただいま～：2016
- شیر
- Lion - A Longa Estrada para Casa
- Saroo: Drumul spre acasă
- Lion - La strada verso casa
- Lion - Der lange Weg nach Hause
+18 more Show fewer
- סארו: הדרך הביתה
- 라이언
- Oroszlán
- Лев
- Lõvi
- Lav
- Liūtas
- Lion. Droga do domu
- Лав
- 漫漫回家路
- Лъв: Стъпки към дома
- 雄狮
- จนกว่า... จะพบกัน
- Tìm Mẹ
- LION／ライオン ～25年目のただいま～
- Un camino a casa
- Lauva
- Lev: Dolga pot domov, ლომი
Seen Lion?
Movies Like Lion
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including A Lion Returns, The Lion Child and Mia and the White Lion.
Lion FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, the book behind it and awards of Lion, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Lion?
Lion runs 1 hour 58 minutes (118 minutes).
When was Lion released?
Lion was released on November 25, 2016.
Who directed Lion?
Lion was directed by Garth Davis.
More films by Garth Davis Who is in the cast of Lion?
Lion stars Nicole Kidman.
How much did Lion make at the box office?
Lion grossed $140.9 million worldwide ($51.7 million domestic, $89.1 million international) on a budget of $12 million.
How is Lion rated?
Lion has 8.0/10 on IMDb, 69 on Metacritic, 80% on TMDB and 3.9/5 on Letterboxd.
Is Lion based on a book?
Yes. Lion is adapted from A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley.
What awards did Lion win?
Lion won 13 awards from 33 nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay at the AACTA Awards 2017.
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